Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Dean Juntunen, president of the Ontonagon Area Board of Education, said goodbye to the board Monday after 22 ½ years. Darren Weisinger,left, who has served four years on the board also did not seek re-election.
By JAN TUCKER
Ontonagon - Dean Juntunen, president of the Ontonagon Area Board of Education, said goodbye to the board Monday after 22 ½ years, most of them as president. Juntunen did not seek re-election this fall.
Juntunen commented that when he came on the board over 20 years ago it was all male members. "As I leave the board will be all women," he added. He continued, "We have a very good board and I am proud to serve with them." Juntunen will have plenty to do in the future since he serves on nine other boards including the Ontonagon County Historical Board and edits the historical newsletter.
Superintendent Jim Bobula noted that the year Juntunen was elected to the board was the same year he was hired as a teacher in the district 22 years ago.
Juntunen has served during important steps in the Ontonagon school system, including the move from two buildings into renovations to put the system under one roof.
Juntunen was surprised with an ice cream party in his honor from students and faculty last week. "In all my years it is the first time I ever had a surprise party," he commented.
Also attending his last meeting Monday was board member Darren Weisinger, who has served four years on the board, and did not seek re-election.
The board and Superintendent Jim Bobula congratulated both Juntunen and Weisinger on their service to the young people of the area and the impact this service has made.
Bobula reported on the elementary and Middle school robotics teams. He said the Ontonagon Area Elementary Robotics team (the junior Glads) consists of ten 4th and 5th grade students. They built a LEGO EV3 robot using LEGO Mindstorms software. This software, he said, enables the students to write a programming code for the robot. The group participated in the first Lego League into Orbit challenge at Northern Michigan University. Challenges included having the robot pick items up and deposit them on specific spots wirelessly.
The program included defining a problem astronauts face in space and research to develop a solution. The students researched the mental health and developed a solution that would provide astronauts with plants used to promote positivity. Bobula said that although they did not move on in the competition the judges commented them on their ingenuity and innovativeness of the project.
Bobula discussed the Ontonagon Area Jr. High robotics team, the Ontornadoes who attended the Jingle Ball Qualifier in Iron Mountain. "Although it was quite the challenge for a 6 week team to compete against teams that have been running for years they still were able to place 19th out of 33 teams," he said, adding they so impressed the judges with their efforts, performance and team dynamics they were awarded the Judge's award."
In other action, the board thanked residents Paul and Barb Boehm who visit the playground twice a day and watch over the children and who bought a new large first aid kit for the school. And with finalization of Title I monies received were able to extend the hours for Facilitators Peggy Lewis, Wendy-Collins Gouin and Parapros Michelle LaBine and Greg Nelson.
